Edukate me......

It is really important that you dont panic keep your cool and always pay very close attention all of your surroundings and never over rev your rig and most important dont break anything and get on the mechanics bad side

wer da werk at i got a parking permit

I don't know if the companies out here would help with work permits or not, I haven't had much experience on the subject. As for keeping my cool in the machine.... it was hard. Tuesday morning was our first day out there and neither of the scrapers would start. So it was a jump and a visit from the Ether Bunny for all 4 engines. Then the dozer operator got here...... he was expecting his D6 and didn't like our D7R so he left and is sitting at home. So I got relieved of my scraper sentence and I am running the dozer now. I have been jumping in the 627's for a few minutes at a time just playin around.

Like I said you guys are gonna get a laugh out of my scraper operating skills.... today I found out what the trigger on the main stick does. Who knew closing the apron was that easy. I was trying to twin stick that thing shut before and here you just use the trigger. On the plus side.... I have 2 fairly green scraper operators. So my day as a Pushcat is really easy.

We are just moving truck loads to the big stockpile, so I crash them they pick em up. It's all nice loose dry topsoil so they can load themselves easily. But I jump in there anyways and force feed em to get those "Sureway" loads that no one gets around here. Pictures will be coming.

Loose topsoil? Must be nice. A little more forgiving than frozen clay slabs from the ripper cat this time of year.

Well boys... I got my seat time in. I took a couple videos from in the cab and I hope you guys get some entertainment from my pain. My back hurts, kidneys, neck and my legs. But I had a riot. I jumped in did 2 rounds and turned into mario andretti. I decided that I wasn't going to be out moved by my grade girl, so I put the hammer down.

The video is uploading now to you tube, the girlfriend unit managed to edit out the little bit of swearing I did when I hit some bumps. Mass-X... I'm comin to work for you buddy. Just not on a scraper. :drinkup

Here ya go.... my first scraper video. Yeah I know I suck on it. And to a nameless person that was talkin to the girlfriend unit earlier.... I'll NEVER TURN MY RADIO DOWN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfAp6iG-Ql0

cool vid thanx for sharin. i noticed you were driving with both hands on the steering wheel, you could haul a million loads and never have to can her out, but the one time you have to it usually comes down to split seconds, and your reaction time could save a life, hauling dirt usually goes better when listening to statc x, slipknot, mudvayne, sevendust a few of my favs. lower the seat a little put on some shades helps in the stylin and profilin, and have some fun.

637slayer said:

cool vid thanx for sharin. i noticed you were driving with both hands on the steering wheel, you could haul a million loads and never have to can her out, but the one time you have to it usually comes down to split seconds, and your reaction time could save a life, hauling dirt usually goes better when listening to statc x, slipknot, mudvayne, sevendust a few of my favs. lower the seat a little put on some shades helps in the stylin and profilin, and have some fun.

Click to expand...

I can't put the seat down... I'm 6'4" and any lower and my legs cramp up in that piece of junk. Yeah I was drivin with both hands on the wheel, that's the fastest I have moved around a jobsite in months so I was hangin on. As for the stylin.... if I was gonna do some of that I'd put on the aviators, the cowboy hat and bust out the Ted Nugent.

I got to see a good "can out" situation today. She started snowin like crazy around lunchtime and my dozer was havin some overheating issues. So I was parked there waiting for the mechanic and I saw the 627 going along the edge of the stockpile and all of the sudden the back end slid down the side of the pile and the tractor was still half way up the slope. I was in awe that the scraper was still shiny side up, and the operator started wiggling his way down the slope. You know those crazy lebonese guys.... Naturally I feel like a loser, today was the first time in months that I didn't bring the camera to work. So I told him on monday morning we're gonna do it all over again for you guys

nice vid alex, look forward to more

Looks like you could do with a grader on that job, might make the run to and from the fill a bit easier. Used to see guys wearing moto x style kidney belts and you can see why. The scoop is a demanding machine but rewarding once you become in control of it!!!

:throwupThanks for the video, it made my neck hurt. I dont think yer gonna ruin a good reputation if you don't master a double barrel P.D.Q.
:drinkup

Gavin84w said:

Looks like you could do with a grader on that job, might make the run to and from the fill a bit easier. Used to see guys wearing moto x style kidney belts and you can see why. The scoop is a demanding machine but rewarding once you become in control of it!!!

Click to expand...

A grader on a scraper job is almost unheard of any more. At least around here that is the case. If you are lucky, then you get a tractor with a bee gee. Last long haul scraper job i was on had neither. 6 627s, 3000-4000 ft one way hauls. A D8 running the cut, a D6 in the fill, and another D6 floating, helping the cut, the fill, and the hoe and truck crew. We drug down our own haul roads. Good day we were getting 75 loads. Near as I could figure, with a grader we would gain 25 loads per machine. Thats another 150 loads a day.

Burnout, A little suggestion about your stock pile. Take the dozer and help yourself out. Make your outer edges a good 3 feet higher than the center. Keep the stock pile top shaped like a V. This will save your rear end, you will slide to the center rather than off the edge. Not saying I havent taken a TS14B down the side of a stockpile in reverse. It just makes the day a lot better when the chance of that happening is slim.

If I'm building a stockpile, I manually shift into 2nd gear and keep the speed down. In lumpy material, I lock the cushion hitch down too. I don't want the scraper flopping around all over the place while hanging on the edge of a cliff!
Done this way, you can really stack up a pile.
Keeping the center of the pile low Like Turbo said, until you are close to finishing the pile is the only smart way to do it! I've gone over the side a time or two trying to fix a poorly built stockpile myself, it's not enjoyable.
Turbo, I didn't realise my oufit wasn't the only one that doesn't believe in support equipment! You can make a haul road last a lot longer by splitting your tracks, I've noticed the "cowboys" always take the easy spot and you can't budge them from it until the whole haul road goes to hell. I always figured, it the back tires aren't on the ground, I'm going too fast.....
Alan627b

So what are you guys tryin to tell me, that we have it too good most of the time? I haven't seen a main scraper job out here other than this one where we don't have a grader and a grademaster (bee gee) on site at all times. The only reason we don't have a grader right now is because this is just a little make work project until christmas. And because there is a foot of frost in the ground.

We are keeping the outside edge of the pile higher than the rest of it. The entire couple hours I was on the buggy I was only dumping to the outside of the pile and the other buggy was working on the rest. Both the other operators are really green, and well... I'm as green as grass when it comes to a buggy.

Watching the buggy operators bounce around is always fun, but bouncing around myself is no fun at all. This fall the oeprators all complained about my attitude that I didn't like walking my hoe across site because their haul road was too rough. Who knew that road got rougher when you go faster than 4mph.

When things go right, the scraper can be the most fun thing on the job!
But it doesn't go right often enough!
alan627b

burnout take all of this in that allan, mass-x and these other guys has put on here i agree scrapers are the most fun machine on the job and you can have some fun on them but respect them they will kill you when you first start out on them the only thing i'll say is keep your bowl close to the ground not so low you drag you'll figure out how far off the ground is good and keep your hand on the brake(aka bowl lever) it's your best friend in a bad situation and alway learn something new everyday i've read alot of mass-x post on here i read where 1 hand said he would'nt work for him i would in a minute he's old school dirt moving and there is no replacement for experience and know how just rember you have to learn it yourself

Burnout, any work for a farm boy from Sask. that has lots of experience running farm equipment? Also, was wondering if there would be any work for a Quadtrac with a direct mount K-Tec scraper now or this summer? (have to do the farm thing in the spring and fall). Have experience running our Quad with a CAT 80 scraper mostly ditching for ourselves and some other farmers.

ronnie said:

burnout take all of this in that allan, mass-x and these other guys has put on here i agree scrapers are the most fun machine on the job and you can have some fun on them but respect them they will kill you when you first start out on them the only thing i'll say is keep your bowl close to the ground not so low you drag you'll figure out how far off the ground is good and keep your hand on the brake(aka bowl lever) it's your best friend in a bad situation and alway learn something new everyday i've read alot of mass-x post on here i read where 1 hand said he would'nt work for him i would in a minute he's old school dirt moving and there is no replacement for experience and know how just rember you have to learn it yourself

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Well I have to disagree with you and Alan on one thing.... Scrapers are not fun. Yeah I imagine they are for a little while, but I looooove my Track Loaders. 973's have to be one of the most ineteresting machines to run. As for what you fine gentlemen have let me know in this post I definately have taken it to heart. I had a nice talk with Mass-X last weekend about runnin a scraper and when I jumped in on thursday everything seemed so easy to me. The man definately knows his dirt and how to move it. He and I also had a conversation about GPS and equipment. I ended up talking with the owner of our company and started feeding him some of the information I recieved and within 5 minutes I had him convinced we NEED it on my new hoe. As for workin for him.... definately. We need to steal him and get him over at Sureway. They have the iron he has the know how to make it kill.

I'll have to make another video this week. I am workin on a new camera mount that I can mount to a flat surface. Then you don't have to look at my ugly mug for the entire video.

STX 500 said:

Burnout, any work for a farm boy from Sask. that has lots of experience running farm equipment? Also, was wondering if there would be any work for a Quadtrac with a direct mount K-Tec scraper now or this summer? (have to do the farm thing in the spring and fall). Have experience running our Quad with a CAT 80 scraper mostly ditching for ourselves and some other farmers.

Click to expand...

There's lots of work in AB, if you have msn you can add it up, there is also that facebook thing. We're gearin up for a big season right now. I'll be headin through Sask. in about another week or so on vacation and then again on my way back.

Well, we live close to HWY 16 in central SK. Are you talking northern Alberta (tar sands) or Edmonton area? Camp work? Who's a good company or person to work for or sub contract for? Prefer a small company, don't like to just be a number.